Tag Archives: OTA DVR

Falling in Love with TiVo Bolt’s Slick Features and Elegant Design

TiVo’s top tier iteration to the OTA DVR Streaming Box brings together your OTA signal, DVR and all your streaming options via a single smooth interface. No need to switch from device to device in order to find the show you want to watch.

One of the most valuable assets in a cord cutters toolbox is the OTA DVR. A drawback to over-the-air (OTA) television is that if you miss a show, you miss the show; but DVR’s help restore that balance by helping you record everything. For many cord cutters, the DVR is the bow they use to tie off their cord cutting experience; so making the right choice is always critical.

Most recently, DVR giant TiVo unveiled their next generation of home DVRs, dubbed the Bolt. The Bolt is a product upgrade on their existing, yet similar product, the TiVo Roamio. This latest iteration of the companies home DVR is meant to provide an all in one entertainment experience, replacing all other streaming devices and cable boxes in your home.

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Bridging the Gap with Hauppauge

In the late 90s, Microsoft had the reputation of being an anti-competitive bully that stifled innovation. They were, in a lot of ways, just like the cable companies of today. But in the last 15 years Microsoft has turned away from monopolies and instead focused their attention innovation, many of which have helped usher in the cord cuttingrevolution; like the Xbox.

All-in-one Media Center

Although nothing quite compares to gaming on the PC, the Xbox One has become much more than a gaming machine. Not only can you play the latest and greatest gaming titles, but you can also watch Sling TV, Netflix, Hulu, listen to music, or purchase and download movies for later. Instead of being the gaming platform we’ve come to expect, the Xbox One has more or less become an all-in-one media center.

All-in-one Cord Cutting Solution

In fact, with just a few modifications you can now upgrade the Xbox One from an all-in-one media center to an all-in-one cord cutting solution.

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A DVR with free Over the Air TV Listings

Although cutting the cord gives you greater freedom and is far less expensive than cable you also lose the comfort of certain services and devices; like the channel guide and DVR.

Even the fiercest of cord cutters have to admit that being able to record live TV is pretty darn convenience. But what most cord cutters are not aware of is that there are a ton of third party DVRs and channel guides on the market that don’t require a cable television subscription.

One of the more interesting DVRs on the market is the DVR+ made by Channel Master. Unlike other DVRs on the market, the DVR+ requires no monthly subscription fee. All content is saved to an internal hard drive instead of cloud storage; which means you won’t be cut off from your content should your internet connection fail.

One Device for all your Cordcutting Needs

The recently released Mohu Channels offers cord cutters the opportunity to combine all of their favorite video services and OTA signals into a single, polished interface.

(UPDATE .1.26.2016 – This product is no longer being manufactured. )

The Mohu brand is already well-respected throughout the cord cutter community for its high-quality digital antennas, so the news of a new media box from the company was an exciting development. Initially placed on Kickstarter, Channels quickly surpassed its funding goal, and, beginning in late June, the highly anticipated media solution began shipping to backers. Let’s take a closer look!

The design of Mohu Channels is small and simple, but with the RF remote, you’ll probably never see it.

Mohu offers an Ethernet port for high-speed internet access, though internal Wi-Fi is also available. As always I suggest using a hard-lined internet connection for an optimal streaming experience. The option for 5.1 Dolby Digital Pass-Through and an HDMI port will ensure your audio and video is in true HD. On the opposite side of the device, an RF jack for your digital antenna takes center stage. Finally, the RF keyboard allows the set-top box to hide securely out of view without limiting functionality.

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Indoor Antennas

Outdoor Antennas

OTA DVRs

Mohu Antennas are the #1 Selling Antennas on Amazon for a Reason!

Combining Over-the-Air and Over-the-Internet viewing through a single easy to use interface.

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An In-Depth Look at the TiVo Roamio OTA

TiVo’s newest offering is targeted directly at Cord Cutters

The TiVo Roamio OTA is the company’s first device engineered specifically to be used as a cable television alternative. Lacking a cable card, the Roamio OTA is designed to allow for a less costly way to record and watch your favorite OTA programming, all while taking advantage of the famous TiVo interface.

So how does the device stack up against its TiVo DVR brethren? Let’s take a look!

The TiVo Roamio OTA features a surprisingly complete set of features to enjoy.

The Roamio OTA is complete with a 500GB hard drive, and a built-in Wi-Fi adapter. Combine that with 1080p recording capability and popular video service integration like Netflix and Amazon, and you will begin to see that the Roamio OTA’s features stack up well compared to other popular TiVo models such as the TiVo Premiere.

With so many features, you’ll be surprised at just how affordable the actual Roamio unit is priced.

Focusing on the DVR’s initial cost only, the Roamio OTA knocks it out of the park! For about $50, you’ll get the sleek device along with a remote control. The TiVo Premiere, for comparison, costs about $140 when purchased new. Both sport multiple tuners (4 for the Roamio OTA and 2 for the Premiere) which allow for plenty of recording opportunities. Both feature an internal hard drive with capacity for at least 45 hours of HD programming (about 75 hours for the Roamio OTA). So what’s the catch? Continue reading Is TiVo Roamio OTA a True Cable TV Alternative?→

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Over the Air DVR Options

Your options are plentiful, but the interfaces and functions can vary widely between models.

Making the Leap. You have either just discovered the power of accessing over the air channels for free, or your a long time cordcutter who is now looking to supercharge your viewing experience. Either way, you are heading down a very fruitful path. Deciding upon a manufacturer and model can be difficult. Initial cost, tuner features, difficulty of setup and subscription fees can all play a part when choosing the right one for you. If you want to KilltheCableBill without losing the functions and features you enjoy the most, this is a good place to start your search! Though there are plenty of options out there, the following are some of the best DVR (or PVR) devices around based on user satisfaction and included features. Depending upon your computer’s operating system and functionality preferences, one of these could be the choice for you!

Using a TV Tuner Card to build a PC based DVR for Recording OTA Free TV

You can use your home computer to capture and record free TV using an Over-the-Air Antenna!

Since 2009, United States ttelevision programs have been broadcast Over-the-Air (OTA) exclusively in digital format. This means that HD signal is available for free in many locations using an indoor or outdoor TV antenna. Goodbye snowy picture!

If you’re already using a digital antenna to watch local programming, and you currently use a PC to stream video to your TV, you may be interested in purchasing a TV tuner card.

What’s a TV tuner card, you ask? Well, a tuner card is a peripheral that can be easily added to nearly any home computer to record free broadcast TV directly to your device. That’s right! You’ll be able to pause, rewind or fast forward your local programming exactly the way you would with an expensive cable or satellite box, without any of those pesky monthly expenses!

Did someone say it’s Football Season?

Record your favorite NFL games and watch them on your own time, and or commercial free. With a setup like this you can not only get Sunday and Thursday Football for free in HD, but you can watch a standard 3 hour game in an hour and a half. Learn more about watching NFL for free in HD

A DVR for Over-the-Air TV that Streams to All Your Devices

Record & Watch OTA TV with Total Freedom

Many of us know the advantages of plugging antennas into our TVs, getting free over-the-air (OTA) TV with HD image quality being one of them. The only problem here is that we are stuck with live TV. We need the help of a DVR to start making our own programming schedules.

Nuvyyo is hoping to present a more affordable option with its new OTA DVR called Tablo . Here we have a product designed to blend the functionality of a DVR with the convenience of a tablet to browse, record and stream broadcast TV content to any device, anytime, anywhere. Tablo is an ideal choice for cord-cutters because it can record free over-the-air HD content, which means you don’t have to pay the cable subscription bills to enjoy the benefits. Continue reading What is Tablo?→